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Concurrent TMS-fMRI

Jing Jiang · with National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) · NCT06633913

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Opens the official ClinicalTrials.gov record, with the study team’s contacts. Bored Studies doesn’t enroll anyone.

Key facts

Compensation
Not posted. Ask the study team before screening.
Who can join
Ages 18–65 · All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Study type
Interventional · Not applicable
Target enrollment
97
US sites recruiting
1
Study start
April 19, 2024
Record last updated
March 12, 2026

Status re-checked against ClinicalTrials.gov within the last 12 hours.

What the study is about

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the neural mechanisms underlying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) using concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in both healthy controls (HCs) and patients with high negative affect symptoms, such as depression. Approximately half male and half female participants aged 18-65 will be recruited.

The main questions it aims to answer are

  • Is the acute/transient effect induced by single-pulse TMS related to the long-term modulatory effect induced by repetitive TMS (rTMS)?
  • Do any of these effects predict negative affect symptoms, such as depression?

Participants will

  • Complete several tests to assess their cognitive abilities and emotional states
  • Undergo several brain scans, including resting-state fMRI, structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and task fMRI
  • Have two different types of TMS sequences, single-pulse and repetitive pulses, administered to specific brain regions while undergoing fMRI

Being studied: spTMS-TBS-spTMS

Conditions: Healthy Control; Depression

Eligibility criteria

Copied from the official record. The study team makes the final decision at screening.

Show full criteria

Inclusion for patients

  • Diagnosis of major depressive disorder
  • Age greater than or equal to 18 years
  • Age less than or equal to 65 years
  • Able to understand and consent for research participation
  • English-speaking

Inclusion for healthy controls

  • Report no lifetime psychiatric diagnosis and treatment
  • scores on Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) lower than 4
  • Age greater than or equal to 18 years
  • Age less than or equal to 65 years
  • Able to understand and consent for research participation
  • English-speaking

Exclusion for all subjects

  • Age less than 18 years
  • Age greater than 65 years
  • With epilepsy or seizure disorder
  • With implanted ferromagnetic equipment in their face or skull near the stimulation target

MRI Exclusion criteria for all subjects

  • Implanted device including pacemaker, coronary stent, defibrillator, or neurostimulation device that is not MRI-compatible
  • Metal in body including bullets, shrapnel, metal slivers
  • Claustrophobia
  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • Blood circulation problems
  • Opiate medication, antihypertensive medication, or any medication that interferes with blood flow (interferes with fMRI recordings)
  • Significant heart disease, such as atrial fibrillation
  • Pregnancy in female participants
  • Prior exposure to deep brain stimulation, rTMS, or tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) therapies
  • History of neurological or cardiovascular disorders, brain surgery, radiation treatment, brain hemorrhage or tumor, stroke, or diabetes
  • Significant traumatic brain injury (loss of consciousness, post-injury amnesia, significant radiological/neurological findings, penetrating brain injury)
  • Refusal to abstain from illicit drug use for duration of the study
  • Refusal to abstain from alcohol within 24 hours of scans

If you would like to participate in the study, click this link to fill out the Screening Form: https://redcap.icts.uiowa.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=DEYHWF8TMCHHW4Y7. Kindly note that our research team will contact you directly only if you meet the eligibility criteria for the study. Due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to reply to individual inquiries or provide feedback about eligibility decisions.

Recruiting US locations

Study contacts (from the official record)

  • Jing Jiang, PHD · 319-678-3410 · TMS-fMRI-Study@uiowa.edu
  • Emily Gittle, BS · 319-678-7043 · TMS-fMRI-Study@uiowa.edu
All mental health studies in Iowa →
Concurrent TMS-fMRI (NCT06633913) | Bored Studies